Vagal influence on the motility of the feline jejunum

1. The effects of electrical stimulation of the peripheral end of the cervical vagal nerve on jejunal motility were investigated in anaesthetized cats, pretreated with guanethidine, with sectioned splanchnic nerves and ligated adrenal vessels. Motility was monitored as volume changes of an intraluminal balloon. 2. Vagal stimulation elicited frequency-dependent hypermotility with a short latency. Relaxatory events were also observed, which could indicate the presence of a non-adrenergic inhibitory pathway. 3. After atropine treatment, contractions and relaxations could still be elicited. The former were compared to cholinergic contractions and showed a lower maximal amplitude and a longer latency to onset. Moreover, they were antagonized by 80-100% by the opioid receptor antagonist, naloxone. 4. Vagal stimulation after hemicholinium, given in order to deplete the preganglionic acetylcholine content, elicited naloxone-sensitive contractions. This suggests that a subpopulation of the vagal preganglionic fibres is non-cholinergic. 5. Isolation of the balloon-containing segment did not qualitatively alter the responses, indicating that the vagal fibres reach the small intestine via the paravascular mesenteric nerves. 6. It is concluded that cholinergic and non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic (NANC) contractions, as well as relaxations, could be elicited by efferent vagal stimulation. The NANC contractions seem to result from the activation of opioid receptors causing disinhibition of a tonic neurogenic restraint on the gut muscle.